Tuesday, March 13, 2018

In
the days of Polaroid I used to enjoy playing with emulsion lifts and
transfers. So, this is the first in a series of experimental pieces
where I am using an acrylic gel to transfer photographic prints from
their paper base to different surfaces (here it is an aluminium sheet... although one cannot really tell by looking at this photograph)
and then further manipulate the image.

In this case the photograph is of skulls of the
victims of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, which I took during a recent visit. After transfering the photo to the aluminium plate and carefully removing the photograph's paper substrate, I am
starting to investigate how the new surface responds to marks/drawing using
pencil and chalk pastel. This is my very first attempt and its early days but I think that
eventually I may be able to do something interesting with it. The next phase will be to see how well it responds to using colour, maybe Copic marking pens or a water colour wash. Will keep you posted...

Sunday, August 17, 2014

The Tsukiji Seafood Market located near Ginza in central Tokyo, is the largest
wholesale fish and seafood market on the planet, moving an estimated 2400 tons
of seafood every day, so naturally a visit was in order. It has become famous
for its 5am Tuna auction where the prized maguro
can sell for more than US$10,000 each but because of its popularity with
tourists, the auction is restricted to two shifts of a 120 visitors who watch
the auction from a gallery. It’s first come first served and the line to be
part of the spectator group starts as early as 4am. Bugger that… we decided to
sleep in and after a leisurely breakfast made our trip across town to the
market at a much more respectable hour, arriving just before the ‘Seafood
Intermediate Wholesalers Area’ opened to the public at 9am.

The market is divided into an inner and outer market. Tourists are encouraged
to visit the outer market, which consists of a few blocks of small retail shops
and restaurants crowded along narrow lanes. Here you can find all sorts of food
related goods, knives and fresh seafood and produce for sale in smaller (than
wholesale) portions. A cursory inspection of this section indicated that things
would be a lot more interesting at the inner market, which apart from the
aforementioned wholesalers area is closed off to the public.

According to an article I read inThe Guardiannewspaper, one in ten fish is eaten in Japan and seafood is part of the
cultural makeup of the Japanese. For centuries fish was the
chief source of protein for the Japanese, because until 1872 it was illegal in
Japan, and against Buddhist principle, to eat any four-legged animal. And old
habits are hard to change.

So, with a society so seafood crazy I was expecting to find lots to see and
photograph in the worlds biggest fish market. Even at this relatively late hour
in the morning, the market area was a frenetic hive of activity. Boxes upon
Styrofoam boxes are laid out, containing some of the most bizarre looking sea
creatures that I have ever seen outside of National Geographic documentaries. There
is some evidence that as the world’s fish stocks are slowly being depleted
fishermen are starting to harvest deeper seas and species that were previously
ignored are now being seen as a food source. To my uneducated eye, some of the
weird creatures packed on ice definitely seemed to corroborate this.

Even if you’re not interested in fish, Tsukiji Market is a fascinating place to
visit. It’s a working market and it is quite easy to get caught up in watching
the preparation, buying and selling of all the produce. There’s lots more than
just fish to see and I was quite happy to wander around for a couple of hours
snapping away with my iPhone until the urge for coffee and breakfast overcame
me. If you get the chance to visit, go! For more information about the market
and how to get there, click on the market’s official website link here

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Given
my interest in military history and memorabilia it was only natural that my
trip to Japan would include a visit to the controversial Yushukan,
a military museum established in 1882 and dedicated to Japan’s war dead.
Located within the grounds of the Yasukuni Jinja shrine, I planned to visit on
a Sunday to take advantage of the flea market that was also held within the
temple complex.

When we arrived, just before lunch, the shrine was already
filling up with people and it was obvious that something else was happening.
Coincidentally, we had arrived on the first day of the annual Mitama Matsurifestival and there would be no flea market scavenging today, so
after spending a few hours exploring the museum and contemplating it’s
revisionist version of Japanese war history we ventured back out onto the
grounds of Yasakuni to check out the spectacle.

Yasakuni Jinjawhose name means “for the peace of the country” was founded in 1869 to
worship supporters of the emperor killed in the lead up to the Meji
Restoration. Since then it has expanded to become a memorial to Japan’s
2.5million war dead. Every July around 300,000 people
flock to the shrine during its annual Mitama
Matsuri, one of Tokyo's biggest Obon festivals commemorating the dead. The
paths leading to the shrine are lined with 300 000 lanterns and the whole area
takes on a carnival like atmosphere complete with food and drink pavilions and
a sideshow alley full of games and entertainment.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

I was clearing out my darkroom storage area this morning when I found some Cyanotype paper which I had prepared about 6 weeks ago, so before throwing it out I thought I'd do a couple of quick test prints as the sun was out. These are the results of a sixteen minute exposure under our winter sun, then tea toned immediately after washing.

WTF?

It seems that every brain dead dingbat with a camera & laptop has a 'photographers blog' these days. Talent, experience and knowledge not required for this gig... it's about marketing and shameless self promotion.